Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in an attack on his residence in Iran

Iran’s Islamic Paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed in a statement early on July 31 that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran. They added that Haniyeh's residence in Tehran was “hit” early Wednesday morning, and he was killed along with a bodyguard.

Iran and the militant group said that Hamas leader Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran after attending the inauguration of the country's new president on Tuesday, according to AP.  

Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike for Ismail Haniyeh's death. However, IRGC said it was investigating the attack and did not say how it occurred.

Issuing a statement, Hamas mourned the death of its political leader and said he was killed in “a treacherous Zionist raid on his residence in Tehran.” 

Though no one immediately claimed responsibility for his killing, suspicion immediately fell on Israel, which had vowed to kill Haniyeh and other leaders of Hamas over the group’s October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.

Who was Ismail Haniyeh?

1. Haniyeh, in his early 60s, played a crucial role in the ongoing cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas by facilitating communication between the militant group’s leaders in Gaza. His death could jeopardise these talks. Recently, the US has indicated that a deal may be imminent, though several issues still need to be addressed.

2. Haniyeh was elected as the head of the Hamas political bureau in 2017, succeeding Khaled Meshaal, but he was already a well-known figure, having become Palestinian Prime Minister in 2006 following an upset victory by Hamas in that year's parliamentary election.

3. He joined Hamas in 1987 when the militant group was founded amid the outbreak of the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation, which lasted until 1993.

4. According to Hamas, as reported by Reuters, three of Haniyeh's sons—Hazem, Amir, and Mohammad—were killed on April 10 when an Israeli airstrike hit their car. Additionally, four of his grandchildren, consisting of three girls and one boy, also died in the attack.

5. He left the Gaza Strip in 2019 and had lived in exile in Qatar.

(With all inputs from Reuters, Associated Press)